German state bans Muslim headscarf for teachers in schools

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BERLIN - Germany’s most populous state, North-Rhine Westphalia, on Wednesday issued a ban on teachers in public schools wearing the Muslim headscarf.

It is the eighth of the country’s 16 regional states to adopt the controversial measure.

A law banning the Islamic headscarf was adopted by the regional parliament of the western state where the conservative Christian Democrats hold a majority.

The Greens and the Social Democrats voted against it.

The Central Council of Muslims in Germany said the new law was unconstitutional because it does not treat all religions as equal, banning only the headscarf and not the Christian cross or any other religious symbols.